Bar council to crack whip on unruly lawyers

CHENNAI: Amidst mounting pressure to crack the whip on errant advocates who have been indulging in unruly activities such as laying siege to court halls, taking out rallies and obstructing court work, Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry has decided to take a decision on the matter on Thursday.
The past few days have seen daylong sit-ins by placard-holding lawyers inside Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul’s court hall, sloganeering by lawyers brought to Chennai from Madurai in busloads, impromptu rally and confrontation on Madurai bench campus.
The incidents have drawn ire from several quarters. Madurai police have registered three cases against Madurai District Bar Association office-bearers and 20 others for their ‘anti-helmet’ rally and the resultant chaos on the road. The city’s police commissioner had forwarded copies of the FIR to the Bar council requesting appropriate action against the lawyers.
Similarly, referring to the September 14 siege laid by a small group of lawyers to Chief Justice’s court, the registrar-general has written to the Bar council seeking appropriate action. He has enclosed an FIR copy and a letter.
On his part, additional solicitor-general of India G Rajagopalan too has written to the Bar council stating that he was witness to the pandemonium inside Chief Justice’s court hall, and has requested action against about a dozen advocates.
To top it all, the Supreme Court itself took serious note of the recent events and Chief Justice of India H L Dattu made caustic observations bordering indictment, about the famed Madras Bar. All India Bar Association (AIBA) chairman Adish C Aggarwala too has called for suo motu action against lawyers obstructing course of justice.
The Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra has written to the Tamil Nadu Bar council questioning the silence of the latter in taking action against the troublesome section of legal community. Mishra said if the state bar council fails to take action, the BCI would take suo motu note of the affairs and initiate action against the lawyers.
Confirming receipt of these letters, D Selvam, chairman of the Bar Council, told TOI: “We have convened a rare extraordinary general body meeting on our premises at 11am on Thursday. The only agenda is whether or not to take action against lawyers involved in recent incidents.”
Bar Council on Wednesday received a copy of an order passed by Justice S Tamilvanan and Justice C T Selvam. The bench had on September 16 asked the council to verify if Madurai District Bar Association secretary A K Ramasamy, who is facing contempt of court trial before the bench, had ever been declared as an insolvent. Now, the council is in possession of a copy of Madurai sub-court order declaring the local Bar president Ramasamy as an insolvent.
The council is expected to discuss the need to issue showcause notice or straightaway suspend lawyers found guilty of overt acts.